Reno of the Turks
by Flying-Bronco
Summary: Post AC the people are rebelious against the ShinRa company and Reno of the Turks runs into some trouble whilst at a bar which could cost him his life. When he is saved by an unlikely person can he recover? Enter Cloud and Rude...
1. Chapter 1

After the meteor disaster, ShinRa, the largest corporation in the world had been left to pick up the pieces. Rufus ShinRa, president of the corporation claimed to be rebuilding society after the destruction obviously caused by the misuse of mako energy; the planet's life source. The sudden appearance of "kadaj's gang" ripped up ShinRa's hopes of rebuilding its shattered reputation, it crumbled once more as the silver haired brothers kidnapped a bunch of kids and attempted to resurrect Jenova. Or something like that anyway… Luckily Cloud Strife stopped them. Yes Cloud bloody Strife. Reno scowled at this thought. No one knew that himself and his fellow Turk Rude had put their lives on the line too to prevent the three from causing havoc. Instead ShinRa was blamed for the incident, Rufus (now cured of geostigma like everyone else had been after the defeat of Kadaj) was forced to go into hiding. The hatred of ShinRa was finally released and there was an uprising of sorts. Groups like AVALANCE were becoming more popular and it just wasn't safe for ShinRa employees to go out anymore. Many packed in their jobs for something new, however some were still tied to their duties. Once a Turk, always a Turk.

Reno's job became very boring very quickly. To change their current image, the famous Turks were no longer called upon to finish off any of ShinRa's dirty work, thus leaving one very bored man. Instead the Turks were confined to the luxury of the ShinRa HQ, body guarding the president Rufus, ensuring his safety was still their number one priority.

He slouched lazily over his desk, jacket and dress shirt crumpled and untucked as usual. Two mako blue eyes were half shut in a bored daydream, his fingers idly drumming against the mahogany surface. Long wild red hair was tied back into a loose ponytail; his pair of black goggles sat comfortably on his forehead, keeping the rogue strands of hair out of his eyes. A pile of paperwork loomed over him precariously close to the edge of the desk. It had been like this for weeks and was grating on Reno's humour. Across from him at a desk of his own, was Rude. Almost the exact opposite, Rude sat straight backed and alert, his suit immaculate and his face unreadable, a pair of dark sunglasses donning his eyes. His desk had a considerably smaller pile of paperwork on it.

The office was almost dead silent, excluding the annoying tick of the clock on the far wall. Reno sighed for the third time in 5 minutes. His friend was not the best at conversations and usually just listened to Reno's babbling. But today Reno was not in a particularly talkative mood. Uncharacteristically Rude spoke up, "What's up?"

Reno glanced up from his current position on his desk, "bored, yo," he muttered moodily. Rude nodded silently.

"I know, we'll go out tonight, go to some bars, I know you love it Rude," Reno suggested with a smirk. Rude looked to be in thought and then finally shook his bald head.

"…"

Reno's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "why not?"

"…"

"You're no fun anymore, since all that Sephiroth crap. I can expect it from Tseng, but you..." Reno finished with a low whistle to express his disappointment. Once again, there was no answer, and yet Reno seemed to understand what his partner was thinking.

"Fine, if you're gonna be a stick about it, I'll go on my own!" And with that Reno rose from his chair and strolled right out of the door. With only half hour to go till the end of his shift, Reno figured that his abrupt departure would not be dealt with severely. After all, everyone knew that Reno was never one to live like clockwork. Grumbling to himself, Reno took the lift to the ground floor and swiftly exited the run down building. He had a car parked close to the entrance, an ancient thing that was on its last legs so to speak. But Reno had grown up with and refused to accept a company car like the rest of the Turks. Slamming the door rather harshly he twisted the key in the ignition and pulled off, sparing a quick glance at the office window where he and Rude worked. He didn't know why, but Reno hoped to see Rude standing at the window, watching him as he left. There was no one there.

Back in the office, Rude sat looking at his finished pile of paperwork. Reno's hadn't even been half done and he inwardly groaned. Once again, he was left to pick up after his careless partner. He cared for Reno of course, and they got on well when they were in action, but Reno was ultimately unstable, hated being tied down and because of this Rude felt that sometimes he was not only a partner, but a babysitter too.

If he left the ominous pile of paperwork for Tseng to find the next day, Reno would be hauled in again and ripped to bits by their boss. Sighing, Rude walked over to Reno's desk and grabbed a few folders. Although Reno constantly moaned at how long each case took, in Rude's experience it took about fifteen minutes for each complete report. With just under half and hour to go he could probably help Reno out a bit.

"Hey you guys, have you seen…" Elena, the blonde Turk entered happily but trailed off as she caught sight of Rude with files fillings his hands. She placed her hands of her hips sternly.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"…Gone home," Rude answered simply.

"Typical! Just typical, and I guess he just left all that paperwork for you to do! Well I won't stand for it. Tseng will hear about this"

"Elena don't. Reno's just finding it hard what with the downfall of ShinRa," Rude argued.

Elena's furrowed brow softened, "he's taking advantage Rude, just like he always does. You shouldn't cover for him so much."

"He's my partner, I have to."

Elena smiled fondly at him. On the outside Rude was terrifying to behold. He was massive and cold looking, but under that suit, those sunglasses, he was just a big softie. Deciding to change the topic, she finished what she had originally came in to say.

"I was going to ask if you had seen the Junon file. Tseng and I are assigned out there tonight. Some rebel activity."

Luckily, the Junon file had been one of Rude's and he plucked it out of his stash in no time. She nodded politely and left without saying much more. Rude looked at the clock, he now had fifteen minutes to go before the end of his shift.

Reno had found a run down bar (his favourite) in one of the back streets of Midgar, however the area was still populated. Since Kadaj's reunion and the mysterious geostigma cure, people had felt it safe to come out again.

The grubby door creaked as he pushed it open and cigarette smoke assaulted his nostrils; he took a step into the dimly lit room. In one corner a jukebox played quiet music, the bar stood on the far side of the modest room. There were a few tables and chairs scattered about, stools placed at the bar, and a TV on a stand on one of the walls. It was hot in the room (probably to encourage people to drink more) and the metallic fans above Reno's head swung round slowly, but did not do anything to cool his surroundings.

The red haired man made his way to the bar, and ordered a strong drink. He slapped down a large amount of gil and told the bar man to keep the drinks coming. And there he sat, hunched over his drinks for at least two hours. By then he was pretty far gone, and he found it increasingly difficult to lift his hand to take yet another sip of the whiskey he had moved onto. The bar was quite full too. It consisted mostly of men who seemed to all belong in gangs, and young women, clad in very little. Reno in his suit and bright red hair stood out like a sore thumb. It was not long until someone had noticed him.

"Rebellions caused by the company's actions have become an every day occurrence, the latest outbreak resulting in the death of a rebel member. Unusually, ShinRa's terrorist department, known simply as the Turks have not made an appearance since rumours of Rufus ShinRa going into hiding. Recent reports say that the president of ShrinRa was also cured of his geostigma along with the rest of the Midgar population. …" The young female TV reporter on screen was standing smartly in front of the rubble remains of the ShinRa monument which had been built in the centre of Midgar.

Reno glanced up sleepily from his drink to watch the short news report, not registering the restless bustling of a bunch of men sitting nearby. Draining the remainder of his beverage, Reno yelled at the bar man for another. The bar man appeared worried.

"Don't you think you've had enough mate?" he reasoned, taking in the very drunk appearance of the Turk.

"I'll tell ya when I've had enough, yo!" Reno shouted causing the gang of men to glare at him from their table. A particularly burly man whispered to someone sitting next to him.

"Just get me a bloody drink, or you'll regret it!" Reno warned dangerously. Now the whole bar had gone silent, save for the TV's soft murmuring. The bar man looked intimidated now and took a step back.

"Hey I recognise 'im! He's one of them Turks!" a man accused. Reno got up unsteadily to face the man. He met a gang of five men, all of whom had produced from their jackets weapons of some sort.

Reno snickered, "and what are you? A bunch of AVALANCE rejects?" Thankfully the young Turk's legs supported him.

"Oi, this dirty Turk giving you trouble?" A man who appeared to be their leader spoke up, aiming his question at the bar keeper. The man being questioned nodded, probably more scared of what the gang would do if he had said no and retreated to the opposite end of the bar. The majority of the people in the room had left, sensing an outbreak was close.

"You heard the bar man boys, this guys making trouble," the leader said to his gang members, then, turning to Reno he added, "You Turks ain't at the top of the food chain anymore."

Reno immediately withdrew his nightstick from his jacket and placed it by his side. His face, though smiling held a deadly serious look. His eyes darted from each man, surveying his situation. He still felt extremely drunk and wished Rude (who compared to Reno could handle his drink) had decided to come along with him, he needed a bit of back up.

Disrupting his train of thoughts, a tall guy wielding a small dagger rushed forward thrusting the metal weapon at Reno's midsection. The Turk backed away clumsily and swiftly brought his nightstick onto the attackers head, an electric current went through the man's body and he dropped to the floor, slightly smouldering. This outraged the rest of the gang and they all advanced on him. There were too many to count now as Reno suspected that more joined in from other gangs too. He swung his electrical rod in a wide circle knocking back a few people running at him. His vision was not the best and he fought to stay upright as well as defending himself against the attackers. Someone from behind him caught him with a powerful punch and Reno staggered back slightly, before landing a countering kick and then ducking the next oncoming blow. The fight went on for another minute, Reno desperately knocking the gang members back, only to have another in their place. Then all of a sudden a loud bang sounded and Reno felt some sort of force push him backward, followed swiftly by an agonizing pain. Reno let out a strangled cry and clutched his shoulder. His hand came away reddened and he felt sick. He could now see someone handling a pistol, aiming it straight at him.

"Aw fuck," was all he could think before someone else crashed a baton like weapon over his head. Another burst of pain flared up in his head and he stumbled, and then fell onto the grubby flooring tiles. He could hear laughter about him as he attempted to get up, his nightstick still held tight in his right fist. A large metal tipped boot landed on it, crushing his fingers beneath it. Reno hissed and finally let go of the electrical rod. The leader picked it up and pointed it at the Turk's face.

Reno gasped at the pain flaring in his body. His left shoulder had been shot and was bleeding profusely, the throbbing in his head was less than uncomfortable and his right hand was unable to move without him wincing. A small trail of blood ran down his face and into one of his eyes, originating from his flaming hair. He thought of trying to contact Rude, if he could only get his PHS from his inner coat pocket… His trail of thoughts was interrupted as a blow caught him in his ribs. There was a slight crack and he knew straight away that at least one was broken. He hadn't time to fully register what was happening before a surge of electricity passed through his body. They were using his own weapon on him. He half screamed in shock and gasped like a fish out of water on the floor, hardly seeing the jeering men above him.

"See how he likes it!" the leader commented hitting Reno again the nightstick. Despite himself, Reno found tears in his eyes as he was constantly used as a punching bag for the numerous gang members. His last thoughts before he succumbed to unconsciousness were "I wish I hadn't left work early."


	2. Chapter 2

Now standing in his apartment, Rude moved into the spacious living room and checked his phone for messages. There was one from Elena informing him that they had left for Junon and to make sure that Reno got to work on time tomorrow, which was her subtle way of telling Rude to drag him out of bed in the morning. In all honesty, Rude felt a small sense of worry for his friend. It wasn't everyday that Reno had upped and left in such a bad mood. Well, it did happen on occasion, but never with Reno's temper as short as it had been today. Rude moved into his bathroom and began to run the shower. He shrugged his jacket off and neatly folded it, placing the garment on the side unit. He then proceeded to undress and stepped into the shower, savouring the relaxing sensation of falling water. As a part of his regular routine, he switched his shower radio on, listening to the loud booming music over the pattering water.

xxxxxxxxxx

Reno was dumped unceremoniously down a back street alley situated away from the hustle and bustle of the Midgar nightlife. He was still unconscious when the gang left laughing and boasting about their victory against ShinRa. As daybreak hit the city morning showers followed, torrents of rain pelting the bloodied Turk lying face down behind a few trashcans. At one point during the early morning Reno had awoken. He cracked the eye, which hadn't been punched shut open and gasped a few times, trying to roll over to avoid drowning in the growing puddle of water and blood. He successfully moved onto his back before passing out soon after.

This was how Tifa found him. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed. His flaming hair stuck to his battered face. One arm was draped limply over his midsection and his ripped suit was torn in so many places. She noticed the steady flow of blood dripping from his shoulder and the many bruises adorning his face and body. She would not have recognised him if it were not for his distinctive hair.

"Reno?" she gasped in disbelief and she moved to his side to check his pulse for any sign of life. There was a weak beat and his breathing albeit shallow and irregular was noticeable. She shouted his name again close to his ear but he didn't respond, and so with a great sigh Tifa grabbed the Turk under the arm careful of his wounds and began to drag him out of the alley. It worried her that the man didn't even flinch as she yanked on his bleeding shoulder or even as she dropped him accidentally at her doorstep.

As she entered the bar that she worked in (now closed due to the mid morning hours) Reno made a soft sound, almost too quiet to hear. Tifa checked him over again and wiped the matted hair out of his face. He seemed to be halfway between unconsciousness and reality.

"What have you got yourself into now you stupid Turk!" Tifa moaned, running her hands through her wet long hair irritably.

xxxxxxxxxx

There was no answer when Rude had knocked on Reno's apartment door. He really didn't expect an answer anyway. Rude had an accurate image in his head; Reno was sleeping off one big hangover most likely. That or his work partner had gotten 'lucky' last night and still had company. The second idea was unlikely, as he knew Reno never stayed around long enough for the morning chats one might have after spending the night with someone. It was something Rude did not quite understand and he found it harsh on the women that Reno did it too, however the red-head himself often appeared quite indifferent about it, claiming that he had left the girl enough milk in the fridge for a cup of coffee and that was good enough.

Either way Rude had to go in and drag him out of bed. He used the key Reno had given him for when he himself was too drunk to work the door and took a step into the Turk's domain. It was the complete opposite to Rude's own apartment- messy and unorganised. Rude stepped over the numerous take-a-way boxes and toward the room at the back of the apartment.

Being polite, Rude knocked on Reno's bedroom door. Again no answer.

"Reno," Rude ventured knocking again. After a whole two minutes of nothing, not even the odd angry retort, Rude opened the door cringing at the loud creak of the hinges. The bed, even though crumpled and dishevelled had obviously not been slept in last night and on further inspection Rude had gathered that Reno hadn't even been back to the apartment last night.

A slight pang of worry flickered within Rude before he pushed it out of his mind. "He may have surprised us all and turned up early for work," Rude reasoned to himself, though in his head he was very extremely doubtful.

xxxxxxxxxx

There he slept, her apparent enemy. Tifa perched on the stool opposite the bed watching the man worriedly. Cloud was away at the moment with Denzel and Marlene, visiting Barret, but she could imagine his expression as if he was in the same room. He would be scowling at the thought of a Turk (especially Reno) being in their house, but she remembered that the Turk's had helped them a short while ago, effectively saving her and Cloud from the run in that she had with Loz. Reno and Rude had even tracked down the missing children. Tifa also suspected that they had something to do with the flashy explosion (wounding Loz and Yazoo in the process) that had occurred during the fight between Cloud and Sephiroth. Nobody had really noticed it but Vincent and herself. They had acknowledged it. They were the only ones.

In any case Cloud was not here to protest and Tifa had felt compelled to help him, even with the issue of him dropping the sector 7 plate killing some of her friends and a whole lot of people in the process. The battered and bleeding form of Reno, the almost innocent face he wore whilst sleeping, was making it hard for Tifa to hate him. She busied herself with the task of dressing his wounds.

She began by peeling off his work jacket. The white shirt underneath was soaked in sweat, alcohol, blood and rain. A large gash was running from his collarbone to his stomach, the bullet wound created a hole in the flimsy material. As the shirt was discarded, she actually gave an audible gasp. His lean but toned body was patterned in cuts, bruises, a gun wound… She saw the bruising around his ribs and knew at once that one or more of them were broken. Thankfully the rain had washed away the majority of the dried blood from his hair and face and so there was little to clean. She applied the bandages to his ribs tightly; she did so easily; he was so light! His face was also cleaned up although he didn't appear to have improved much. Her attention was drawn to the dirty suit trousers that he was wearing. Hesitating and slightly embarrassed, Tifa hoped that he didn't choose to wake up and she rid him of them. Reno's legs were bruised, a long gash outlining the calf muscle on his left leg was also patched up, but other than that Tifa decided that he was ok.

There was however the gruesome task of removing the bullet from his shoulder. It was lodged deep into the flesh, close to the bone in fact. Using a pair of sterile tweezers she skilfully removed it without much hassle. Only once did Reno wince in his sleep, but he didn't so much as move an inch. Tifa, now aware that he would probably come to soon, swiftly stitched up the gaping wound. Taking a brief observation of her handiwork, she pulled the thick blanket over the wounded man and left with his clothes.

Reno awoke to the sun on his face, warming it. Blurred vision through his one good eye made it difficult to determine where he was; the pain was also distracting him from his normal train of thoughts. His vision began to clear and a dull greyish room came into view. Its furnishings were basic, a small bed, a drawer for clothes and a basic table in the corner with medical supplies and a bowl of water sitting on it. It all seemed vaguely familiar, somehow. He tried to sit up and yelped at the fiery pain shooting threw him. He fell back, his head falling against the soft pillow. It was then he noticed the tight feeling about his chest. He managed to move his good arm to lift the blanket and take a look at what was causing it. He discovered that he had been stripped down to his boxers and all of his wounds had been bound. Pain still erupted in his shoulder when he moved it but was no longer unbearable.

As if suddenly hit with the idea, Reno once again shot up. This time too fast. He leaned too far right and found himself falling clumsily out of the bed, getting tangled in the bed sheets in the process. A hoarse scream of pain left his lips and he cursed himself for letting the person who had treated him know he was awake. He recognised this place, he had been here before and it made his stomach knot uncomfortably. The voice confirmed it for him.

"You're not meant to be out of bed." It was the chiding voice of Tifa, hands on her hips, a serious look upon her face.

" I need…I need to get to work, yo," Reno panted through gritted teeth. He would rather be back in that alley dead than face this lot of misfits. His lack of clothing also made him blush uncharacteristically. If it wasn't Tifa that had dressed his wounds (which was bad enough) it must've been Cloud. Reno groaned inwardly at the thought.

"If you think you can get up and go to work in your state then you must have hit your head a bit too hard." Tifa watched as he attempted to get up but as he put weight on his injured arm he cried out in pain and fell back down. She glided over to him gracefully and knelt down so she was eye level with him.

"I don't think you'll be going today Reno," she ordered. Reno felt extremely stupid and nauseous. Apparently he couldn't get away with the pain of being battered, he had to have the hangover as well. He mumbled something incoherent and then proceeded to retch, forcing himself onto his side. Tifa rushed to his side and felt his forehead. He scowled, breathing deeply.

"Ok then, back into bed. You have a fever," Tifa said more softly. She picked him up easily earning a hiss of pain from the redhead. Once settled on the bed, Tifa untangled the sheets and draped them over his sweating body, she kept her gaze firmly on a spot on the wall. Reno began to feel hot under the confines of the thick blanket and he protested weakly. Tifa ignored the pathetic ramblings and placed a cool cloth soaked in the water from the bowl on the table on his head. His eyes were glazed, his breathing still deep.

Tifa's large brown eyes appeared to be concerned for the ill man. She smiled half heartedly dabbing his head, wetting his crazy fringe. She gave him a drink spiked with sleeping tablets, hoping that he would sleep off the temperature. He drank it willingly, though obviously annoyed at Tifa's hand keeping his head pressed to the glass.

"Where's chocobo head then?" Reno mumbled sleepily. Tifa almost laughed at the name.

"You mean Cloud?"

"Mhm," Reno confirmed half asleep.

"He's away with the kids at the moment," she answered quietly.

Reno half laughed and half coughed, "happy families," he slurred closing his eyes. The way Reno said it caused Tifa to stop dabbing his head, he sounded sad and tired, but not how you would think. She went to reply but he had fallen asleep. The encounter left Tifa thoughtful and eerily empty, but she got up and left the room to clean the bar ready for opening.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Reno was not at his desk when Rude turned up 10 minutes late. When looking at the electronic register, Reno hadn't clocked in either. If he were not at his place or at work then where would he be? Rude's eyes closed beneath the sunglasses he always wore and he rubbed his temples. With recent reports of rebel groups attacking ShinRa employees combined with Reno's state of mind when he departed work yesterday, the outcome was not looking good. Another small voice in Rude's head argued,

"Yeah, but he's a Turk, he can handle himself better than most people."

"Have you seen him when he's drunk? A child could beat him," another voice argued. Rude's inner argument was interrupted then, a shrill ringing emitted from his suit pocket. He reached for his PHS and flipped it open. It was Tseng.

"Rude I need you and Reno on a mission. There's an increase in rebel activity in the downtown area and SOLDIER needs back up."

Rude was sure he could hear Elena in the background telling Tseng something, " Reno is not here or at his apartment, I checked this morning."

There were sounds of the two on the other end conversing and then Tseng spoke, "Rude, do you mean to tell me that you haven't heard from Reno at all this morning?" Rude hesitated, not wanting to drop Reno into any more trouble.

"This is important Rude," Tseng said seriously, "If Reno isn't up to the job then he is putting the president at risk. Try and get hold of him, Elena and I will be back with the president this evening. When we arrive, I expect Reno on duty or Rufus will have to be informed." Rude detected a hint of sympathy in Tseng's strict orders. Contrary to popular belief (that Reno and Tseng hated each other), Rude knew they both respected each other for being so different to themselves. They perhaps even strove to be more like the other, Reno always tried to live up to Tseng's impressive professionalism on the field, and Tseng had always attempted to be more laid back. It was quite amusing if you were Rude, the onlooker.

By this point in the conversation, Rude found it necessary to say something. The people at the other end had gone quiet, obviously awaiting his response.

"Affirmative," he stated and then hung up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Even though Tifa's bar Seventh Heaven was packed and she was alone to tackle the drunken customers, her mind wandered to the drugged Turk upstairs. It bugged her, the statement Reno had made before slipping into a deep sleep. Tifa reminded herself that Reno himself bugged her, his cocky attitude; his laid back style, his cowardly behaviour. But he hadn't been that way upstairs. It was probably because he had been beaten near to death and was running a fever. Or maybe he had actually changed since she had seen him last.

A punter interrupted her thoughts so she handled him a bottle of beer and took her fee. It was nearing midnight and the bar would be closing soon, so she rang the last orders bell, earning a swarm of desperate customers, all rushing to get one more drink. Another hour and the bar now empty was quite trashed and full of smoke. Tifa had not slept at all last night, keeping an eye on her patient instead, and now she felt exhausted. Reno was in her room and so she wouldn't sleep in there. The alternative was Cloud's room. Tifa checked on the sleeping Turk, he had that peaceful look on his face again, confusing her once more. Then she went to Cloud's room and lay down on the bed.

Cloud had moved in permanently after his ordeal with Kadaj. The church had seen better days and was flooded with the healing water and so Tifa (along with Denzel and Marlene) had offered him a place living above Seventh Heaven. Denzel and Marlene shared the largest room but Marlene often stayed with her father Barrett and only really stayed with Cloud and Tifa for a few weeks every couple of months. Tifa took the room besides this, leaving the last room (previously a study) for Cloud's use. The room itself had little personal value. There were no personal items splayed about and the wardrobe held very little clothing. The bed was large though and Tifa found it very soft and warm. She snuggled into the blankets, feeling comforted by the faint scent of Cloud that lingered in the material.

It was obvious to everyone that she felt strongly for Cloud and for a time it seemed that he felt the same, but with Cloud things were never simple and although he had become more open since being cured of Geostigma, he still proved to be a hard nut to crack.

She turned to lie on her right side and caught a glimpse of something reflecting the dim light of the lamp outside in the bedside cabinet. Curiously and rather shamefully she opened the drawer and took out two pictures. One was framed and was of the whole gang. On the back row Vincent stood far left, looking as mysterious as ever, next to him Cid stood feet wide apart and his spear resting on his shoulder, a cigarette clamped in his mouth. Barrett was on the far right smiling. In front of him Yuffie was sticking out her tongue childishly. Cait Sith was perched on top of Nanaki, pushing the creature's red fur fringe into his eyes. Then there was herself, and very close next to her was Cloud. She had a wide grin on her face but Cloud's expression was unreadable. Tifa tried to interpret his expression as there being a faint smile there, but she was only fooling herself. The picture was taken soon after meteor, Aeris was not there. Cloud had never been as happy as he had been after Aeris' death, when she had passed away something in Cloud's soul had passed away with her and there was nothing that she, Tifa, could do, no matter how hard she tried.

As if to support this, the picture behind the first one was of Cloud and Aeris. From what Tifa gathered, it was taken on the night that he and the ancient had gone out around the Gold Saucer. The picture was bright and merry. The two were standing in near enough the same position as she and Cloud had been posing in the previous picture, but the harsh difference to this was the slight up wards turning of Cloud's lips. He was smiling very slightly.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She placed the photographs back in the drawer and shut it. Tifa knew better than to be upset by this. She knew how Cloud felt, who he felt for, and she resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't compete with Aeris at all. She fell asleep soon after this thought, the tears still fresh and sitting upon her pale face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A whole day had gone by and still there was no sign of Rude's partner. When ringing Reno's PHS, he was rewarded with a rather short "leave a message after the beep, yo". Since that morning he had left numerous messages, the last of which Rude had almost lost his temper. If that hadn't scared Reno into getting in touch then something was obviously very wrong.

Rude's next plan of action was to investigate the areas in which Reno loved to hang out. He tried Midgar's impressive gambling shop, then moved onto the downtown area to where the majority of the bars. He was careful not to appear suspicious. After the warning Tseng gave on there being anti-ShinRa activity around, he dressed down and took with him a small discreet tazer for protection. Rude went to every bar he had been to with his fellow Turk and asked a few questions about there being any strange activity lately. The vague replies he received were disheartening.

The last bar he tried appeared to be trashed inside. His curiosity prickled inside his head. It was early evening; the bar was relatively quiet apart from a few regulars conversing. Rude approached the bar and waited patiently for the bar man to take notice of him. The short man standing behind the bar glanced over, a worried look on his face and Rude knew that he was recognisable. He made a sound in his throat that suggested 'come here now' and the man scurried over, not wanting to anger the massive bald guy standing stiffly at the bar.

"What can I get ya?" he asked nervously, eyes avoiding Rude's shaded ones which were boring into him.

"I want some information," he began in a low profile sort of way, "You seen anyone in here lately with long red hair?" The bartender's face dropped so dramatically that Rude knew the answer before he even had to speak.

"Where is he?"

"Well sir, I don't rightly know." The bartender reached for an empty glass on the wooden surface and Rude swiftly whipped out his tazer and placing it on the outstretched limb.

"Try again," he warned.

Looking about, the bar man could see that a few members of the gang that had fought the red headed Turk were sitting in a corner and eyeing up the bald guy.

"Well he was in here…y-y-esterday night." The small group got up and took out some weapons, muttering to each other. Rude could sense them behind him but kept his cool. Without warning he lifted the man behind the bar up into the air and threw him into the oncoming group. They stumbled backwards and snarled angrily at him. One had pulled out a gun but Rude, fully alert and en-guarde moved as quick as lightning. He surged forwards like a bull in a china shop using his shoulder to tackle the man holding the gun; it went off but missed by miles. Rude gave him a sharp jolt with the tazer and stomped on the hand clasping the weapon. There was an audible crack where the bones snapped in the young mans fingers, probably lucky for him the shock from the tazer had rendered him unconscious. He moved on to the other two in the room. One was clutching a knife and looked intimidated. The other appeared more confident and was holding…Rude's eyes narrowed beneath his shades. The son of a bitch had Reno's mag rod, and the guy seemed to notice this sudden change of heart that Rude was giving out. He swung it dangerously.

"Recognise this?" he taunted, "got it off this drunk Turk scum. I like it."

Rude clenched his fists in attempts to keep himself calm but the mocking man in front of him carried on.

"Course, he put up a fair fight, had to get rid of him. Don't want dirty Turks walking free do we? Say, you look familiar. You're not…not a Turk by any chance are ya? We'll have to do something bout that," the leader mocked lifting the rod towards Rude's face. That's it. Rude couldn't take the torments anymore. His training flew out the window and he launched himself at the man. He landed on top of him with an uncharacteristic roar and landed his elbow in the guy's face. In a panic the younger man had backed off, obviously scared by the violent way the Turk fought, leaving his leader to try and fend off the punches to his face. He succeeded in pushing the large Turk off him only to find that the next second he was flying through the air and towards a mirror. He impacted with a loud crashing sound and slumped down onto the floor. The mag rod fell from his grip and his head lolled forward. Rude straightened his jacket out casually and retrieved the rod.

"Where is he?" he asked the half conscious man.

"Go to hell," the beaten leader slurred spitting blood on Rude's shoes.

"Wrong answer," Rude bludgeoned the man in the midsection with the electric rod. "Where is he?"

The man slipped so he was laying on the floor and said nothing, so Rude grabbed his right hand and bent the fingers back one by one. As the second finger broke the man let out a howl and he cried, "alley, behind a trash can."

Rude smiled and got up to leave. The leader of the gang that had beaten Reno to a bloody pulp cradled his broken hand painfully but had managed to lean against the wall for support. Rude turned his back and could almost sense the scowl in his face, he saw in one of the shards of the broken mirror the man reach into his jacket for something. He wouldn't allow him to retrieve it. With a great amount of force, Rude brought the rod into a sweeping motion and it connected with a sickening thud to the man's head. The man's neck snapped on impact and he slumped forwards, blood already beginning to pool around him. Rude straightened and reached for his PHS, ignoring the screams of horror around him.

A voice answered after a few rings, "We have a problem," Rude explained simply before hanging up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yeah ok so Reno wasn't in this one, but I got carried away and wanted it to be a little deeper than it had originally been, so I concentrated on some of the other characters. It all adds up people. The next chapter should be up soon. I have found my inspiration. Review people I'm disappointed so far!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sunlight beamed through the blinds at the window and onto Reno's face. He scowled, squeezing his eyelids together to block it out, but that proved to be painful and he gave up. He cracked open his eyes and found that the one that had been punched shut was opening easier now. With another look at the room he judged it to be late morning and after listening intently to any sounds from downstairs he huffed pathetically. He was in a dilemma. He badly needed to get to the bathroom.

Now Reno was not one to accept help, and just thinking about asking Tifa to aid him to the bog was excruciatingly embarrassing. However, a sick realisation swept over him. How else would he reach it? The twinge in his bladder spurred him into action and with great difficulty he attempted to swing his legs over the side of the bed. After a few minutes of small movements, inching forward ever so slightly, he reached his destination. Still on his back, Reno sucked in a breath and pushed up onto his elbows. The fiery pain made itself known again in his shoulder.

"Come on Reno. Stop talking to yourself and get moving yo!" he ordered himself. Testing his weight on his legs was not a good idea. Almost immediately his legs buckled beneath him and he slipped to the floor again. He cursed loudly and eyed the table in hopes of grabbing it for support. It was then he had a brainwave. There was an empty bottle on the table next to the bed. He could use that. It was drastic but Reno had no other choice. He finished his business and sealed the bottle whilst making a face, then carefully placed the bottle back onto the table. Luckily it wasn't a see through bottle and would stop Tifa from immediately realising what he had done. But now it was his return journey back to the bed. Taking less time than falling off it surprised Reno. He felt a lot stronger and a lot less hung over than he had felt yesterday, but his skin still felt as if it were on fire although reliving himself had reduced the pressure a little.

When he was back on the bed and panting in exertion, he heard the sound of someone opening a door. Footsteps followed and got louder and then the door to his room opened a tad. A very sleepy looking Tifa poked her head round. Although her hair was slightly dishevelled and the sleep still lingered in her eyes, she still looked amazingly pretty.

"I heard banging," she murmured, wiping her eyes groggily.

"Did you?" Reno answered innocently, a slight grin on his face. Tifa appeared annoyed. She ventured further into the room and Reno saw that she was in still in her sleeping gear; he was pleased to see that she slept in short shorts and a strappy vest top, Reno mentally noted that she had a great figure. He felt her soft hand on his forehead.

"Well your temperature has gone down a bit, you should have something to eat"

Reno went to refuse but his stomach chose that moment to rumble angrily. He meekly said yes and let hid head drop against the pillow with a sigh. As she left to make breakfast…or rather lunch, Reno piped up, "Oh you may wanna get rid of that bottle, yo," he nodded towards the bottle on the table.

"Why?" she inquired, confused.

"Just, don't ask," he replied with a slight moan. Tifa looked even more confused and then extremely foolish as it dawned on her.

"You are one disgusting Turk!" she almost spat grabbing the bottle and going towards the door as quickly as possible.

When she left, Reno concentrated on his wounds. On inspection he found that Tifa was a talented medic and all of his injuries had been patched up fine. This would mean that there was no chance of infection which was a small mercy granted to the Turk. He then realised with a start that he hadn't got his weapon, clothes, or even PHS with him and he didn't even know what day it was. It could've been a week since Tifa had found him in the alley and the thought of his teammates flashed red lights in his mind. Oddly it was an image of Tseng yelling at him for being late, well he didn't really expect much more from him. If it were Tseng's way he would've had Reno up for duty today!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tseng and Elena had returned from Junon the night before with president Rufus. Rude's short message was easily deciphered to mean that there was trouble with Reno and so Elena took it upon herself to ring back Rude and drain all the information he knew from him. Tseng was left to inform the irate president.

"This is indeed most alarming news," the president had stated. Tseng stood in front of his boss and in the brightly lit room they were harsh contrasts. Rufus chose to dress in elaborate white suits, which complemented his short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. It gave him the image of an innocent, which he was defiantly not. Rufus ShinRa appeared calm and calculating, always possessing a look of superiority on his young visage. Tseng on the other hand wore the usual black dress suit that the Turk's were famous for. Like Rufus he was immaculate in presentation but he stood taller than the president and had long glossy black hair, which fell, straight down his back. His face was pointed and chiselled and there was a plain simple black dot on his forehead. No one had asked him what it meant but people had thought that it had something to do with him hometown Wutai.

The dark man nodded in agreement to Rufus' statement. "Currently Rude is searching for signs of Reno sir. It is under control."

Rufus looked to be in thought. "Tseng, I do like Reno. It would be upsetting if he turned up dead. Find the ones who did this and take care of them," there was most defiantly a hint of malice in the young president's voice. Tseng understood, no one did this to Rufus' beloved Turks and lived to tell the tale.

"Sir?" Tseng asked unsure. Rufus waved his hand dismissively, "I understand that this may put us in the negative media once again, but I believe that authority is crucial and if these rebels don't understand the power of ShinRa then they must be made an example of." Now Rufus looked 'pissed off' as Reno himself would put it and Tseng didn't waste time in hanging around. He tracked down Elena who informed him of Rude's position and what had occurred earlier on.

"Well it seems that Rude's already made an example of them," Tseng smirked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rude was half distressed and half relieved to discover the area where Reno had been dumped was empty. As a Turk, you were trained to successfully identify and track down clues, which could lead you to your target, and now Rude knew where about to look, he found it in no time. The rain had washed away most of the signs of a struggle but Rude could see signs of someone being dragged in the street. He followed it determined and spied what the man had informed him of. There were a few bins upturned and sprawled about but there was no sign of his partner.

The relief came from the idea that because Reno wasn't here then he must be somewhere else and most likely alive. It was highly unlikely that people came down here, which suggested that Reno had moved by himself, and people certainly wouldn't go through the trouble of moving a dead body.

However Rude was still worried at the empty space he was staring at. There was still the fact that Reno was missing and hurt. And he didn't even have the faintest idea of where to start looking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tifa ascended the stairs whilst balancing a tray on her arm. She had prepared a breakfast that looked as un-edible as possible. The tray consisted of a meagre bowl of sticky oatmeal alongside a glass of orange juice and as she attempted to twist the doorknob to Reno's room, the glass wobbled dangerously. Thankfully, Tifa managed to nudge the door open and place the tray on the bedside table. Reno had apparently drifted to sleep again and was breathing softly through his slightly parted mouth. Tifa had previously removed his goggles that sat comfortably on the top of his head and this caused his messy red hair to fall forward into his face and when Tifa had found him his plain hair tie was missing, effectively letting his hair loose and appearing even more unkempt. She found herself hovering over him, eyes searching for any hint that he may be waking up, and then she gently reached forward with a hand and hesitantly brushed the rogue strands of hair out of his face. Almost immediately after Reno stirred and in the process of waking up he jerked abruptly back, hitting his head off the headboard in the process. Tifa also jumped back, as if burnt by the sudden movement.

"Ow fuck!" Reno cursed loudly as he clutched his head with a grimace. He glared daggers at Tifa who looked genuinely scared.

"What are you doing yo!" he demanded. Tifa saw the frantic emotion in his mako enhanced eyes and noticed the rapid breathing that caused his chest to move up and down. She approached him again, slowly in hopes of calming him.

"I just, well… I made you some breakfast," Tifa gestured to the pathetic meal on the table, cold and forgotten now. Reno's face twisted to express a source pain as the adrenaline wore off.

"How come, you were so, close?" Reno asked, gasping quietly between a few words.

"I went to wake you," answered Tifa, hoping that he would believe her. On his pale face flickered signs of mild embarrassment for a brief second but was gone almost immediately, his tough outer barrier dominating.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, yo" he stated his shaky voice calming and falling back into his distinct accent.

"I'm sorry," the woman replied reaching out for the bowl. She looked at him passively and passed him the food. She watched without a word as he struggled to devour it, obviously not caring about the texture and taste of it. Her quiet exterior camouflaged the rushing thoughts in her head. She had witnessed a man who usually was always was laid back jump up in terror from a mere touch. Whatever had happened to him before being rescued had to be severe for a Turk to be in such a state.

"Reno, what happened to you?" the soft voice sounded loud in the deadly silent room. The Turk peered up from his meal. Tifa was standing at the window staring out of it as if in a trance. She seemed so out of it that Reno wondered that if he had actually heard her speak or if he had imagined it. Then he wondered why he would have imagined it and was deep in thought when the voice interrupted him again.

"What happened Reno?"

Reno took a deep breath in and mentally mapped out what he would tell her. She deserved an explanation for helping him for sure. Putting down the bowl he began his account.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Tifa had turned to face the Turk as he began his story. Instead of mumbling some incoherent tale about how he had managed to turn up half dead in the alley next to Tifa's bar, she was surprised that Reno started to explain with how things at ShinRa had been messed up lately.

"I had paperwork up to here!" Reno motioned with his uninjured arm a dramatic amount and Tifa smiled. "The boss said we had to lie low for a bit, so people wouldn't think we were gonna redo what was undone."

"And are you planning that?" Tifa found herself asking. She knew a hell of a lot of people including herself who would not want that to happen again.

"Course not! You think we're that stupid?" Reno took one look at Tifa, "don't answer that." The black haired girl looked away again, a faint smile on her lips. "Anyway, the company isn't what it was and to be honest yo, I couldn't take sitting in that office for another day."

Reno stopped at this to cough pathetically and Tifa ventured closer, offering him a glass of water. He took it gladly and carried on Tifa stayed close to the bed now.

"How long have I been here?" Reno asked curiously.

"Two days."

"Ok, so two days ago I decided to go drinking. Rude tried to stop me but I went anyway. To cut a long story short I got into a little bit of trouble with one of the local gangs, they recognised my off the TV. I don't remember much after that," Reno almost looked embarrassed and Tifa thought it best not to press the matter, instead the topic of conversation led onto other things.

"Where's Cloud then? I'm surprised he's not here to rub this all in my face," Reno hissed, shifting position slightly to make room for Tifa who had now perched on the end of the bed.

Tifa's eyes narrowed. He had asked this question before.

"Don't you remember?"

Reno looked confused and Tifa thought it made him look adorably innocent.

"You asked me that the day I brought you back, you were running a high fever and mumbled something about happy families and then drifted off…what did you mean by that?"

"I…uh…what? Happy families?" Reno's confusion turned to the emotion running through his eyes when he had slipped off to sleep before. It was that defensive look that protected something Tifa was not sure on.

"Yeah, I know you remember Reno." There was no reply from the silent Turk.

"Oh forget it," sighed Tifa and annoyed, she went to get off the bed.

"Tifa," her name drifted to her ears and immediately she stopped mid stride. His voice was soft now and without any malice or mockery. She turned on her heels to face the voice. Reno stared at her for a long second, which seemed to go on for much longer. Tifa felt drawn to him. His pale bruised face, his wild hair, his sad mako eyes.

"Thanks…for patching me up. I'd probably be dead if ya hadn't of helped me." Reno had tried to make it sound as laid back as possible, but as soon as the words had left his lips they just sounded so genuine. He cringed inwardly; Tifa was shooting him a strange look and he found that he couldn't look at her anymore. It was extremely awkward, something he just did not cope well with.

"It was no problem Reno," the Turk in question heard her reply, but he didn't move his eyes away from the random dot on the wall, the dot that he was determined to be interested in.

"You know you're a totally different person to who I thought you were," and with that the beautiful fist fighter exited the room.

Reno at once turned to look at the plain door, now shut. He hadn't stared at anything for about two minutes. Then he seemed to regain his senses and muttered a short; "ah crap," before burying his head frustratingly into the pillow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Downstairs Tifa was also contemplating the recent events that had taken place, desperately trying to pinpoint the strange feeling that made itself known in the pit of her stomach. Unloading the dishwasher, she began her daily chores, however her mind was set upon the wounded red head upstairs.

"There is something about him, something different from the last time I met him, I can't pinpoint it," she mused. "What is it, what's making me feel this way?" so bombarded was she with these constant questions that she poured a drink for herself in hopes of claming herself down. She sat pondering what she would do.

"How long will he be here? Do the Turk's know he's here? What would the others think when they hear that she had been spoon feeding a former enemy?" In her mind, an image of Cid and Barrett appeared, Cid was swearing incessantly and Barrett gave her a retort which suggested that she was a fool to ever trust Reno in her own house. And then she thought of Cloud and a strange wave came over her. The feeling that she had when up in that room not five minutes ago was very similar to the one that she felt when Cloud was around…It couldn't be what she was thinking…could it?

It certainly felt easier to think of Cloud now and not be ridden with the pain of rejection. Maybe after lying in his bed last night and realising that Cloud would never be entirely hers left her feeling desperate and the closest thing was Reno. She agreed with the second theory. Under no circumstances was she to have actual feelings for a blood thirsty Turk!

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Returning back to HQ utterly defeated and at a loss what to do, Rude silently entered the room that he and Reno shared. It was late evening now and apart from the night guards he assumed that he was alone in the building. He had not counted on the door to open behind him and that Tseng would be the one to enter through it.

"Any sign of him?" Tseng asked but from the slightly downhearted air Rude was giving off told him that he hadn't. The two Turks both appeared weary. Tseng went on to explain that he had checked all hospital records but there was no sign that Reno had been there in the last few days.

"What I did find out however was that Reno has been prescribed a strong batch of SSRI's," Tseng explained

"SSRI's?" Rude questioned gruffly.

"Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, a form of antidepressent which increase the brain's level of serotonin, and are associated with an improvement in mood. SSRI's have also been shown to be useful in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and some forms of severe shyness," Tseng stopped for a moment, "somehow I don't think he is taking them because he is shy."

"That doesn't explain Reno's foul moods lately," said Rude.

"Well the side effects of continuous use of these drugs involve drowsiness, lack of appetite and even self destructive thoughts," Tseng replied gravely.

"…I'm worried about him," Rude admitted softly.

Tseng nodded, "Even though Reno and I don't get on as well as we should, I agree. Last time I saw him he was half asleep at his desk and even Elena pointed out that he looked a lot thinner than he had a month ago."

"I believe is he alive. The question is where?" Rude stated shortly.

"Rufus has ordered that all current affairs be put on hold until Reno is found. Tomorrow Elena and I will check other possible locations. I trust that you know who Reno associates himself with. Check them out to see if they have heard anything."

Rude merely nodded then turned to go.

"Oh and Rude?" Tseng called out. Rude implied that he had heard him.

"The paperwork for the men you took care of…Don't worry about it."

A subdued smile settled on Rude's lips as he left the building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N –Thank you all for reviewing, please bare with me for a while. I know the last few chapters have been less than entertaining. I'm still attempting to figure out what the outcome is definitely going to be myself! All reviews are welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_He was standing back on sector seven plate, grinning madly at the futile attempts of AVALANCHE to stop him, idly swung his nightstick about laughing at Cloud's face, Barrett was shooting at him but he was standing too high up from them to be in any real danger. Then there was the third figure. Long black hair framed a heart shaped face. The figure's body was taught with pent up anger and emotion, her fists clenched and showing the white of her knuckles and what scared Reno most of all were the crimson eyes full of anger and hatred for him. She was running at him, a battle cry shrill and haunting, she seemed to be moving faster than her teammates and within seconds Reno was met with a fist in his face. He fell backwards and scrambled for the bomb trigger, fingers desperately brushing the button. The attacker was too far away to stop him all of a sudden and he was back on his feet laughing cruelly. Deliberately he pressed the button very slowly and the hate consumed eyes widened and as the plate fell the figure fell too…_

"Tifa!" Reno screamed hoarsely and shot up out of bed. There he was back in Tifa's room having a hard time breathing. Sweat literally poured out of him and tears were involuntarily rolling down his battered face, the strange silence of the room was frighteningly less comforting than the crashing of the plate in his dream. Running a shaking hand through his hair he attempted a breathing technique that his doctor had advised. His conscience haunted his dreams, preventing him from sleeping well at all. The GP had given him tablets to make them stop but occasionally they would spring up and the latest had sent Reno into a panic attack. Reno could not deny the acts against humanity that he had performed in his life as a Turk were wrong. Prior to popular belief Reno considered himself to have morals. The dropping of the sector seven plate had been one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he had done it none the less. He had done it because he had been ordered to do so and to defy that order would result in the punishment of betraying the company…in other words death. Now Reno was not what you called a man of honour, in the entirety of his life he hadn't cared for much but he valued his life, however tainted it may be. This was not to say that killing all those people in the sector seven slums below the plate went down well with him. After escaping in the helicopter, half dead (cloud had tried his best) Reno mourned them. Rude had found it all very disturbing, never before witnessing Reno feeling any remorse. But all those people had been innocent and Reno lived with the fact that he was a cold bloodied killer every day. How could Tifa stand to look at him? He had killed many of her friends that day and yet she still took him into her own house.

Tifa in his dream was what he recalled clearly. It felt as if she had punched him in the face after waking up. Her eyes hurt him more than physical pain ever could.

At that point Tifa barged in through the doors, an expression of worry plastered across her face. The eyes held no hatred now, just alarm and a hint of sadness.

"Reno, what is i…" her voice trailed off into nothing. The man in question was standing next to the bed breathing heavily. He still wore his boxers but other than that he was naked, his eyes were watery and bloodshot. The trembling did not go unnoticed either. He turned to her, still gasping in the air as if there was a shortage of it in the room.

"I'm…I'm so…sorry," Reno pleaded.

"What? Reno you must sit down, you're in no state to be up yet." Tifa moved swiftly and caught him as he slumped downwards onto his knees. She held him upright for a second and noticed that the tears were still trickling out of his icy eyes. They were both on their knees in the middle of the room now, and she hugged him tightly, eventually calming him enough for him to talk again.

"All the faces…I'm so sorry. Tifa," his crazed gaze locked onto her.

"What is it Reno?" she gently spoke, as if she were trying to calm a youngster.

"Your eyes were full of hate, when you fell. They haunt me. I am sorry," Reno realised deep down it all sounded deeply stupid but the emotion from the nightmare was far too great, pulling at his heartstrings like a puppet master.

"You're talking about the plate." More of a statement than a question.

"Reno that was years ago. I don't have it in me to hate you anymore," she found it difficult to comfort him. After all, what he did was unforgivable. Surprised he drew back from the warm embrace. His piercing gaze tore into her soul and his eyes were windows letting Tifa see directly into his soul in return. There was a deep remorse so strong that Tifa felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She leaned in very very slowly and then suddenly there was no space between them anymore and she found that she was kissing him tenderly.

It was as if time had stopped for Reno. There was a connection and then everything stood still. Tifa's soft pink lips were on his own, her dark eyelashes tickling his own innocently. She encouragingly moved her lips against his and he relaxed, moving his in time. He lifted a hand to caress the side of her silky skin, fingers delicately touching the satin black hair. They broke away from each other and time started again. Reno wiped furiously at his puffy eyes.

"I don't hate you Reno," she smiled and Reno discovered he was returning the gesture.

"That means a lot yo."

"Come on, let's get you back to bed," she thankfully had changed the subject, helping Reno up and onto the bed. Reno mumbled something along the lines of "I'm not a kid," but allowed himself to be guided by the smaller figure. Once settled back under the warm blankets, Tifa took her leave, promising to return with more food, thus leaving Reno to reflect on what had just happened.

He was restless and far from his usual tired self. His ribs felt slightly more comfortable, the tight bandage on his shoulder prevented extreme pain and the majority of the bruises on his body were beginning to heal. The mako treatment every member of SOLDIER and the Turks received resulted in a speedy healing time, although Reno often moaned that this did not include recovering from hangovers. Tifa's stern orders to stay in bed were ignored, as Reno again got up; more steady this time round. He stretched the muscles that were not too damaged and began to investigate the room, curiosity once again dominating his senses. He could hear Tifa moving about downstairs and longed to be with her again, and then he mentally slapped himself for thinking it. What would Rude say if he found out that he had kissed Tifa, ex AVALANCHE member and Rude's crush once upon a time (Reno wasn't sure on his feelings toward her now). It was a typical Montague/Capulet set up and Reno was confused at the emotions that he was previously unfamiliar with.

Rude! In all the time he had been in this house, he hadn't really thought about his work colleagues and what they must be thinking. It was probable that Rude was tracking him down right at this very moment; Tseng was almost guaranteed to be plotting Reno's punishment at missing work. He realised with some surprise that he didn't want to give away his position just yet, he liked Tifa and going back to The Turks now would mean that he would never get the chance to spend time with her…he realised he was sounding pathetic, maybe it was because he hadn't taken his tablets in a few days or he had been sober for longer than usual. Or, with a lurch of his stomach Reno mused, "maybe its something deeper."

Snapping out of the thoughtful stupor, Reno searched the room for any clothes that he could wear. This being Tifa's room provided very little so he silently made his way into the hall, careful not to aggravate his wounds.

On investigating the first room Reno concluded that it belonged to the kids that Tifa looked after, he exited quickly. The door at the end of the hallway was slightly ajar and he pushed it open hoping that Tifa wouldn't hear the creaks of the rusty hinges. The room itself was barer than the one he had woken up in, but it was just as dull with the grey coloured walls. Standing out against the vast amounts of grey was a wooden bed, obviously freshly slept in. Reno limped over to the chest of draws and opened the top one. His thin eyebrows arched at what he found.

The garments were all dark and consisted of armless tops and vests. The next drawer contained a few pairs of jeans and leathers, all black.

"Well what a fantastic range of clothing we have here," in Reno's opinion the style was boring…just like Cloud. Reno recoiled as if the clothes he held had something unpleasant on them. So Cloud Strife really did live here instead of the shabby old church that he insisted on staying in before. He shouldn't be surprised, after the freak rain that had cured his boss before his very eyes, he assumed that Cloud would return to reside with the others and Tifa was rumoured to have a major thing about the blonde glory-hogging hero. A pang of jealousy awoke in him and he pushed it down miserably.

"Stupid Cloud, with his stupid clothes…" he angrily snapped up the baggiest thing he could find and gingerly pulled it on. The Turk had a slightly smaller frame than Cloud, but he preferred his clothes baggy (his work clothes were at least a size too big for him allowing maximum comfort). The ones he had on now restricted him, the jeans too tight and the top not covering his arms. He rubbed them self consciously; he wanted his suit jacket back.

Taking a quick peek at himself in the hallway mirror Reno almost laughed. How could Cloud ever even hope to pull this look off? He resigned himself to the fact that he would have to descend downstairs in order to enquire for his own clothes and to do that he would have to be dressed, so, taking a deep breath and ignoring the nervousness rising in the pit of his stomach, he took the first step on the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N – thank you all for reviewing! I am very happy to hear that you all liked what you read. On the issue of the drugs that Reno had been prescribed. I actually did a little research into them. The side effects (even though they were originally meant as anti-depressants) do include self-destructive thoughts. Weird eh?


	7. Chapter 7

Struggling down the stairs and clutching his side in pain, Reno reached the bar to find it completely void of any other human beings. A cracked clock on the wall sported the rather absurd time of 9am, a time that seemed non-existent for the usual late riser. He eyed the shelves of drink along the bar wall hungrily, ah how he craved a glass of whiskey…

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill laugh, the tone cruelly entering his ears and making him feel very uncomfortable. Reno didn't want to turn and face the person, he knew who it was.

"Ow come on Reno, turn round so I can see your new clothes," the voice probed, a hint of amusement obviously evident within the tone. Reno obeyed and rolled his eyes as if he didn't care either way.

"Its either this or me walking about with nothing on. I wouldn't want to put you through that…or would I?" he smirked cheekily and the woman who had laughed still seemed smug.

"Its not like I haven't seen everything already anyway," Tifa giggled, watching with satisfaction as Reno's smirk died away swiftly.

"YOU!" Reno pointed a finger accusingly, "taking advantage of ME. That's something only I would do, yo!"

"Oh don't say it like that, I had to clean you up after your run in with those thugs. It was inevitable." Tifa still had a wide grin plastered to her face.

Reno scowled moodily and turned his back on her for a few moments. Then, with a smile he swivelled back and said, "so…what you think? Better than Cloud yeah?"

Tifa's amusement dropped at the mention of Cloud and her posture stiffened slightly. She sighed and looked away, her hair falling into her face, shielding her sombre visage. Reno felt mixed emotions arise within him. One was jealousy at the effect Cloud had on her and the other one was…ah yes that guilt thing again. He seemed to be feeling that a lot lately. Instead of going over to her or trying to restart the conversation, Reno was at a loss for words, rooted to the spot like a stone statue. The silence almost vibrated around him, while all the time the awkward feeling he had when Tifa was around left him standing there, head cocked to the side, not knowing what to do.

"Don't be so vulgar Reno," she ordered brushing her long locks out of the way. A pause. "Well what do you think of the clothes?"

"I want my suit back, these clothes make me feel like a prat."

"your suit isn't salvable, it looked more like a tattered rag after I peeled it off you. Your shirt was the same, so I guess you'll have to settle with that for now."

"What?" Reno made an audible gasping sound.

"Well I don't see the problem, you look alright in it. A lot better than that baggy suit you always wore," Tifa replied.

"I happen to love that suit!" Reno retorted, but deep down he was chuffed at the compliment she had given him. Tifa smiled fondly again and then atmosphere changed once again as she approached him nervously.

"Uh Reno, I just want to apologise for what happened upstairs. I don't usually kiss people randomly."

"Could've fooled me. You seemed to know what you were doing."

Tifa looked into the eyes of the man standing in front of her. He was sporting a rather goofy smile but his eyes held no sign of humour, his posture although hunched over was taut with tension.

"Reno…" the dark haired woman started but she did not have time to finish her sentence. The Turk had closed the remaining gap between them, slid his arms around her waist so his hands rested on the small of her back and titled his head downwards so his forehead was touching her own. He placed his lips upon hers so gently that Tifa was fully in shock for a few moments. She realised that she had her own hands against his chest from when he had stepped towards her. She had not moved at all, however Reno was not discouraged. He carried on with the kiss, gradually deepening it. The experience was so surreal to Tifa that she melted into his arms without a further thought. Her palms climbed his upper torso to rest around his neck and he retaliated by pulling her to him more closely, friction between them caused by their clothes becoming apparent.

Reno's hands, seemingly with a life of their own found their way under the black tank top that Tifa was wearing and up her smooth back. She lent into his touch emitting a soft moan between the long passionate kiss. He felt her bra clip under his battered fingers and was tempted to unclasp it, he brushed his hand against it a few times, prolonging Tifa's anticipation and then finally with one swift motion undid it with two fingers. He couldn't help but wince in slight discomfort at his bruised hands, they were only beginning to heal from the crushing they received at the bar, but at this moment in time that was the last thing on his mind. He was paying a lot of attention to the AVALANCHE member's neck now, landing small kisses down the length of it to her shoulders whilst letting his hand roam further under her top.

The two were becoming further immersed in the proceedings that the shrill ringing of the phone upstairs made Tifa jump and automatically pull away as if she had been caught doing something extremely wrong.

Forgetting her loose undergarment and ruffled hair she gasped, "I'll have to get that," before darting upstairs and out of sight, leaving a very confused Reno behind.

Reno groaned to himself, half out of embarrassment and half out of frustration. Had Tifa actually wanted what he had? If so why did she move away from him so quickly? This was definitely a situation where a straight drink was needed.

Behind the bar, Reno retrieved a shot glass and a bottle of cheap looking wine. In the process of searching for something a little stronger he had accidentally knocked a glass off a shelf with his elbow, the container smashed on impact with the ground. Cursing in a crude tone, Reno briefly searched for something to clean it up with. With his whole body kneeling, head poking into a cabinet under the bar, Reno did not notice the door open silently or the figure enter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tifa picked up the receiver and balanced it between her ear and shoulder whilst attempting to redo the loose bra.

"Strife's delivery service, you call, we'll deliver. Oh, hey Denzel…are you still at Barrett's? Uhuh, well then is Cloud with you? He's not?" Tifa glanced in a mirror briefly to assess her appearance.

The boy's voice came through the receiver quietly he replied with, "No he's on his way home but I'm going to stay here with Marlene for a bit ok?"

The phone then dropped to the floor as it slipped from her shoulder and she could hear Denzel's voice on the other end calling her name. She fumbled about after it for a few seconds and finally managed to place it back on her shoulder. She was about to answer when a loud crash sounded from the floor below. Tifa froze.

"Denzel I have to go, I'll ring you back!" Without waiting for him to reply she slammed the phone down and rushed for the stairs.

What she witnessed both shocked her and confirmed her fears at the same time. Reno was against the door to the bar, red hair an array of tangles, blood spurting from his nose. He was baring his teeth angrily and clawing at the pair of strong hands holding him up by his neck.

"Cloud! What are you doing?" the person in question who was currently pinning Reno up by his neck let go at once to turn in surprise.

"Tifa, I thought you weren't here, did you know about this?" he demanded, keeping a sharp eye on the gasping Turk behind him. His blue mako eyes hardened as he regarded Reno.

"Yes I did!" Tifa retorted forcefully hands on hips. "I found him half dead a few days ago so he's been recovering here since then." Tifa sounded guilty now, staring at Cloud in a "forgive me" manner, Reno felt sick. Whether or not it was due to the lack of food, Cloud's brutal attack, or because Tifa was acting so weird now Cloud was back, he felt out of place all the same. Uncharacteristically he focused on his bare feet, they were gashed from the glass that had dropped from the bar when Cloud had dragged him over it. He could sense Cloud's obvious displeasure at having Reno in his presence but the ex-SOLDIER was never one to cause conflict unnecessarily.

The two men parted, Cloud striding over to a worried looking Tifa leaving Reno standing by the door. Cloud laid a hand on Tifa's arm and whispered something Reno couldn't hear. The red head narrowed his eyes moodily.

"Well now you've done dragging people across the room for no reason, I'm getting a well deserved drink. Do you have a problem with that?" Reno's remark caused Cloud to face him once again, his face once again the normal passive façade that he usually presented. Tifa laid a hand on Cloud's shoulder. Whether or not it was a sign of comfort or restraint, Reno did not know. What he did know was that the green-eyed monster inside of him was awakening again and that he never did react well to these situations. Grabbing an unsmashed glass and pouring a whiskey double he sauntered by as best he could, a stretched sneer dramatically worn across his face. As he passed Cloud he muttered the remark, "clone reject," making sure to lock eyes on the blonde man. He let the insult absorb for a few seconds, then laughed sharply and exited upstairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cloud's fists balled as Reno's cruel words pierced him. The gobby Turk always had a certain way with words he mused; they always did get to him more than most people could. As the Turk had looked at him, he could see through the bruises and scratches the defensive and angered look behind his harsh exterior. Cloud did not consider himself oblivious to the feelings of others. Usually he was able to tell what people were thinking, or feeling. On the past (and thankfully few) occasions that he had come face to face with the all too ambitious character that was Reno, he was always laid back, in control, and most defiantly confident with himself. The Reno he had just witnessed was very angry, very insecure, and very hurt.

"It maybe have been something to do with the fact that I attacked him," Cloud thought. Tifa had distracted him from his thoughts. She was crouching next to the glass on the floor, sweeping it up. Crunching sounds were heard whenever she shifted on her feet signalling that there were still pieces lodged into the floor, hidden amongst the dark wood flooring.

Cloud joined her in tidying up the mess. The pair did this silently until the chore was over and they had found their way to the bar. Whilst Tifa sat on one of the stools, chin resting on her hands, eyes drooping, Cloud stood stationary nearby with his hands resting on the surface.

"I'm…sorry," Cloud remarked, brushing the bar top with his leather-clad hands. Tifa only mumbled a response. A door upstairs was slammed shut and Cloud could only guess that it was Reno going to bed.

"You're tired," Cloud noted rather obviously.

"And you're such a great conversation starter," Tifa chuckled, "how was your trip and why did Denzel stay behind?"

"Barrett is going to Wutai with Marlene for a couple of weeks, he asked if Denzel wanted to go," Cloud replied simply, "I didn't see anything wrong with it." Tifa nodded in agreement, "Why are you changing the subject?"

"I wasn't," Tifa replied lamely. Cloud half smiled.

"So I take it that Reno is the cause of you looking so exhausted?"

"Oh and the fact that you came back and smashed half my business doesn't come into it," Tifa joked half-heartedly.

"I'm sorry about that."

"I don't blame you to be honest. What with the recent attacks and Reno being…well Reno, why else would he be here but to cause trouble?" Tifa mused aloud,

"I did think it was strange," admitted Cloud, "but then I was perhaps a bit too eager to do what I did." The two laughed quietly but Tifa quickly fell silent.

"You have to understand though Cloud," she began seriously, "When I found Reno he was seriously injured, he still is, he just doesn't like to show it. He has not been making trouble, annoying yes, but he is all right really, harmless. After all, he did help you out with those bombs back on the motorway." Cloud looked away in thought.

"Was that him? I guess it makes sense. Tifa, you may trust him but he's a Turk. Turks are never trustworthy. For all we know he could've been planted here by Rufus," Cloud said. Tifa appeared offended at his insult on her intelligence.

"Cloud, when did you become so paranoid? Why would Reno get himself beaten half to death just to spend his time in this run down place? He couldn't defend himself for starters and somehow I don't think Reno would ever agree to marring his face, he's too vain for that. Oh, and Vincent. Vincent was a Turk and you are perfectly happy to trust him."

"He is an ex Turk and that was totally different circumstances. I wouldn't put that kind of stunt past Rufus."

Tifa sighed in frustration, "everyone deserves second chances…even you if you can remember."

Cloud lowered his gaze, images of his past, images of him delivering the materia into Sephiroth's clutches. He thought he had left the guilt behind when Aerith had forgiven him. Obviously Tifa had not. Noticing the change of atmosphere Tifa desperately attempted to fix what she had brashly said,

"Cloud, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." Her hand moved to rest on his in a comforting manner. Cloud gave her a sad smile.

"I know Tifa, sometimes it is hard to forgive what those have done in the past. I understand that much. It is why I don't trust him. But I value your opinion above everything else. If you say he can be trusted then he can be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the two enjoyed a friendly drink below, Reno was seething. The slam of the door had not led to Reno returning to bed to sleep it off. No, he had first finished his drink and then examined the new wounds Cloud had inflicted. After a while he grew bored again and limped about the room, becoming more and more suspicious of the quietness downstairs. He slammed the door to Tifa's room on his way out in a swift act of violence and immediately regretted it. A shooting pain split across his abdomen where he had been slashed and a burst of light offended his eyes so he had to close them quickly. Dots were dancing before him, blocking his sight. He slumped against the wall and landed with a soft thud onto the floor, Reno was aware that he was very close to the stairs and could hear what was happening below.

This was how he had overheard the conversation between Tifa and Cloud.

"I don't blame you to be honest. What with the recent attacks and Reno being…well Reno, why else would he be here but to cause trouble?" he listened to Tifa dissing him so lightly and it felt as if an invisible force was crushing his chest.

"Was that him? I guess it makes sense. Tifa, you may trust him but he's a Turk. Turks are never trustworthy. For all we know he could've been planted here by Rufus," It was Cloud's voice this time. Really, Reno was expecting it from him. Cloud's utter ignorance to the fact that on that motorway not too long ago Reno (and not in the best of shape either) and his partner Rude had put so much on the line just to stop the Kadaj and his brothers caused Reno to growl. The trustworthy Turk remark however was more of a compliment to Reno. He agreed and he preferred it that way, being trusting would always leave you wide open to get hurt, as he had seen first hand with Tifa.

The ex AVALANCHE members had stopped talking; Reno took this as a sign that they were about to move, probably in his direction. Anger swelled inside him. He was not wanted here that was for certain, and Reno didn't particularly intend on staying at Seventh Heaven now Chocobo head had returned.

Wishing that he were still wearing his Turk uniform rather than Cloud's distasteful clothing Reno decided it was time to leave. Swiftly, he raided the rooms upstairs, finding a stash of Gil. It wasn't much, but looked enough to get Reno back to the ShinRa HQ. Regrettably he found the Gil within the confines of a piggybank in the kid's room that lived with Tifa… he remembered him from the day that he and Rude had tried to drag the controlled children away from the materia produced monster summoned by Kadaj. His name was Denzel if he recalled correctly.

"Sorry mate," Reno muttered as if the teenager were there, "Just think of it as payment for me saving ya life, yo."

Reno avoided smashing the money jar in case Cloud or Tifa were alerted. It took him longer to pry open the plug at the bottom to steal the Gil, but he did it and placed it with care back where had found it.

The pain bothering his body was getting worse, he noticed and wondered if Tifa had fed him painkillers which were just beginning to wear off. Gasping slightly as he jarred his shoulder in the doorframe, Reno took one look at the window and decided against climbing out of it. Instead he crept back down the stairs, stealing another last look at Tifa and Cloud, still drinking in silence. He sneered but took the backdoor out leading him into the back-alley outside Seventh Heaven.

Reno surveyed the area, identified Cloud's motorbike, which sat in the shadows subtly and grinned. "Revenge would be sweet," he thought as he awkwardly sat upon the cushioned leather seat. It took Reno almost no time at all to quick start the bike and as the engine roared to life, he pulled away speedily, causing the tyres to screech and skid.

It was not until Reno had turned the corner toward the town's centre that Tifa and Cloud had dashed outside to find out what the noise was. They were met with a large wave of dust assaulting their senses.


	9. Chapter 9

The motorbike's engine grumbled loudly as Reno slowed to a halt and swung his leg with difficulty over the seat. As he did so he could feel the old wounds pulling. The red colour seeping through the bandage on his shoulder indicated that the gunshot had reopened.

"Dammit," Reno cursed, pressing a semi crushed hand to the area and pulling it back bloody. He glanced around. The harsh light beaming down on the now busy streets told Reno that it must have been nearing midday. As he stood there taking in the scene, a small toddler stopped by him to stare in the annoying way kids do. Reno stared back, wondering if he had ever seen the boy before. Seconds went by, and then a rushed looking mother snapped the small boy up angrily, chiding the kid, telling him not to run off.

"I wanted to look at that man," the boy argued innocently, his face screwed up in dislike as his mother dragged him by the wrist away. Reno heard the mother's response.

"No, do you know what men like that do? They take little boys like you when you're asleep," the mother hissed in a stern tone.

"Like the boogie man?" the boy gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

"Yes, like the boogie man, but worse. That man is what you call a Turk."

Reno looked as the boy turned away from him, running to keep up with his mother's fast step. Did the whole of Midgar know that he was a Turk? Well he must have been on the television a lot, especially after the Bahamut SIN episode, though he had never until now realised how many people knew his face, or walked the other way when they saw him coming. He always seemed to be with Rude or another Turk member or he had just been blind drunk and so he had never taken the time to notice these small happenings take place. Was it remorse he was feeling at this moment? Or shame for inserting such raw fear into the likes of little children? He shook his head as if the thoughts were clouding his brain; he needed some more SSRI's but the logic in him pointed out that his last tablets were in his suit, his suit which was probably in Tifa's trash can by now. As if on cue, a headache formed, he didn't even have his sunglasses to block out the blinding sun. It was the summer season and therefore it got extremely hot, due to the sunlight reflecting off all the scrap metal that was being used for the renovation of Midgar.

Reno looked back at the bike. As much as he would've loved to take it with him, he guessed that Cloud would have some sort of tracking device hidden in the complicated confines of the engine. He left it there, on the side of the street. It was an extremely advanced vehicle compared to the pathetic excuses for motors out of the street and Reno hoped that someone would either trash it or even hotwire it. Certainly that little distraction would get Cloud off his back for at least a short while.

Patting the pocket stashed with Gil, Reno hailed a taxi without too much trouble and instructed the driver to the destination. The greasy looking man at the wheel shot him an odd look but didn't question his customer as the wad of cash was slapped into his chubby hands.

"Get there as fast as you can, yo," Reno muttered before leaning back into the car seat, taking in deep even breaths, the gun wound giving him more agro than before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That bloody Turk," Cloud spat as he and Tifa stood outside Seventh Heaven, "and I actually believed he could be trusted." The pair had witnessed the figure's swift departure on Fenrir, and, on investigating the premises, had found that Reno had disappeared.

"I don't understand it," Tifa stuttered, " he wasn't…I mean, he didn't…"

"He's still as untrustworthy as ever," Cloud interrupted angrily, turning to face Tifa's worried gaze. The woman in question looked betrayed. After all, only an hour ago she was defending Reno to Cloud, saying that she believed that they could trust him.

"There must be a reason for what he did," Tifa reasoned.

"Tifa, he got whatever he came for and then he legged it. Probably all part of one of Rufus' plans to get rid of us." Cloud looked as if he were explaining something incredibly simple to a child. Tifa's face-hardened.

"No Cloud! He was different than usual. I saw a side to him that I bet no one else has seen. It was as if he opened up to me. That's why I don't believe he was undercover."

"How close did you actually get to Reno, Tifa?" Cloud asked suspiciously, as if sensing her thoughts directly. Tifa appeared flustered now.

"Cloud, that really isn't the issue. What I'm trying to say is – "

"I think it is Tifa," Cloud pressed.

Tifa sighed, "I looked after him because he was hurt and that's it! Any decent person would do the same thing in my position."

"I'm sorry Tifa, it was wrong of me to assume –"

"As I said, that's not the issue here now," Tifa couldn't bear to look Cloud in the eyes.

After a pause, "He probably left because of me anyway. I didn't exactly give him the best welcome," Cloud muttered, though Tifa could tell he was still fuming.

"I'm going to find him and get my bike back," he stated.

"I'm coming too," Tifa suggested.

"No, you look after the bar and I'll go, my other motorcycle only has room for one anyway. I won't be long."

Tifa had never looked so uncomfortable, Cloud wondered as he left. He had promised not to purposefully harm the Turk, but Tifa still did not seem convinced. The blonde haired ex-SOLDIER thought it strange that Tifa (who had once hate Reno) was now worrying so much over his well-being. He swiftly started up his smaller bike, compared to Fenrir it was puny, it didn't suit Cloud's image at all. He chose not to think of that as he race away from Seventh Heaven, following the tracks Reno had so obviously left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was eight o'clock in the evening when Rude left the ShinRa building. On a normal day he would join Reno for a drink, however there had been the slight problem that Reno had gone missing (assumed dead) a few days ago. With only a few threads of hearsay as to his whereabouts, Rude had taken it upon himself to stay later every night, searching databases for his friend. Tseng and Elena occasionally stood by and watched over him anxiously, and even though they offered to go out and help search for him after hours, there was a strong vibe which told Rude that they believed Reno had finally met his maker.

Refraining from rubbing his eyes due to lack of rest, Rude navigated his company car back towards his apartment. His sunglasses lay forgotten on the passenger seat showing the deep brown eyes slightly red from the restless hours spent trying to sleep.

By eight thirty he was pulling up outside his apartment. It was situated on the newer side of Midgar (the town they called Edge). The upside to this area was that it was nearer to ShinRa HQ and Tseng and Elena lived nearby. For some unfathomed reason Reno chose to reside where he grew up; the slums. Rude thought that it may have something to do with it being his habitat, the place where he felt more at home and so he didn't press it much, although Elena was always hinting at him to get a nicer pad in Edge.

Walking up the steps to his front door and forcing the key into the lock, Reno looked to his right. His window was wide open, the curtains bellowing out of it in the evening breeze. Rude froze. He had shut that window before he left for work that morning. Now more aware of his surroundings, Rude reached in his suit pocket for his tazer and very quietly pushed the front door open.

At first he could spot nothing out of place, other than the window. He closed it silently, recoiling at the splatters of blood on the windowsill.

"This situation is getting weirder," Rude thought, now noticing the trail of blood leading across the living room to his bathroom. He followed, careful not to step in the few drops of blood. The tension was building when Rude reached the room. He lent on the wall beside the open door breathing as quietly as he could. Then, with one deep breath he turned the corner to face whatever was in the room, lifting his tazer as he turned.

Apart from the medicine cabinet being opened and trashed and the blood that suspiciously stopped when it reached the sink there was nothing in there.

Rude turned back to the hallway, suddenly aware that he had left his back open to attack. He retreated back and spied his bedroom door, which was slightly ajar.

Placing a firm hand on the wooden door, he pushed it open and stumbled back a few steps at what he saw. He even blinked a few times to make sure he was correct.

Eventually, he ventured into the room, toward to the bed.

"Reno?" he murmured in disbelief.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

A/N- OK so I realise the last chapter was pretty poor. I'm putting that purely down to writing in the middle of the night, when my head isn't 'in gear'. I will try my best to improve this chapter and please review if you can, I like to know what people think about the story and what people want in it. Thanks…and now for the next chapter!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing that entered Rude's mind was to check Reno for signs of life. The pale man sprawled across his bed seemed to be lying quite still, which worried the larger Turk a great deal. Whenever Reno had crashed at his apartment after a night drinking, Rude had found him half on half off the sofa and snoring loudly in the morning. Now, Reno was as white as a ghost and he was not moving.

Rude checked the red head's pulse and found, with a fleeting relief, a feeble beat. Also, on closer examination, Reno's chest was rising ever so slightly in a random fashion. The heat emanating off his forehead was not overlooked. Rude thought urgently back to his medical training and decided against moving Reno before he knew the extent of his wounds. At first glance Rude could spot the weeping bloody hole in Reno's shoulder; it had been bound crudely using a hand towel from his own bathroom and was half falling off as his partner lay there. The bruises and scratches that adorned his face and visible body parts did not look too serious, although the sheer number of them caused Rude to suck in a breath. He seriously doubted that this was the worst of his injuries, broken or fractured ribs were probable based on the way he was positioned and perhaps even some internal bruises. Rude hoped that there was nothing more serious than that.

In this quick check over, Rude followed Reno's arm, which was draped off the edge of the bed, his black and blue fingers limply pointing toward the floor. Rude's heart quickened as he saw what the hand had obviously dropped. An innocent white bottle was half open, the contents spilling out on the floor. Picking up the bottle, Rude read the label. It said in bold black lettering 'temazepam'; a form of sleeping pill, common really. The worrisome reminder of Reno's current medication led Rude to believe that Reno had perhaps not stuck to the prescribed dosage and from the abundant tablets littering the floor, Rude had no way of telling how many Reno had swallowed.

His friend's pallid face appeared serene, almost deathly so and Rude was encouraged to give him a little shake, trying in vain to rouse him from the deep slumber.

"Damn," Rude whispered, retrieving his PHS from his jacket pocket and punching in a few numbers. A few rings and then an elderly sounding woman answered.

"Edge hospital, what is the nature of your call?"

"I think my associate has taken an overdose. He is in a bad way"

"OK, we will send out transportation, can I take the address that you are at?"

Rude informed the woman on the end of the phone line where to find him and gruffly told her to hurry. After hanging up, he quickly pressed a speed dial on his PHS keyboard and another female voice answered.

"Hello? Is this Tseng's phone?" Rude ventured curiously, he had rang Tseng's apartment line only to find someone else answering.

"Rude? Is that you?" he recognised that high pitched, almost over excited voice. It was Elena.

"Yes," Rude answered with a smirk.

"Oh," the voice sounded sheepish, "I'll…I'll just get Tseng."

Rude remained on the phone, finding it hard not to laugh when Tseng's low business voice reached his ears.

"Hello Rude, what is the situation," Tseng knew that something must be up for Rude to ring him at home.

"I have located Reno…or rather he located me."

"Is he there now?" Tseng requested sounding excited for his usual solemn temperament.

"He is…unconscious. As far as I can tell his injuries are moderate, however I found an open bottle of sleeping pills next to him."

"You suspect he has taken an overdose?" Tseng asked, although the brief conversation about Reno's prescription of SSRI's they had earlier that week led him to suspect the worst.

"…I'm not sure, he will be transported to the hospital shortly."

"We will meet you there then," Tseng replied.

"Affirmative…" a long pause and then Rude's tone lightened a little, "good thing Elena was for some reason at yours, I don't have to explain the situation a second time now." He could almost sense Tseng's embarrassment as his boss hung up the phone swiftly. In all the years they had worked together, everyone had known there was some sort of attraction between the two. Rude found it amusing that they were secretly sneaking to each other's apartments after hours to conceal it from everyone.

There was a knock at the door, which proved to snap Rude out of his engrossed thoughts. Answering it, he found two paramedics standing on the doorstep, medical bag in hand. He ushered them in silently and signalled to where Reno lay. Rude remained in the lounge, flipping his phone up and down in subconscious worry, waiting for the pair to bring Reno out. Soon enough the paramedics emerged from the room.

"Your friend is in a bad way, we'll have to take him to the hospital pronto," the male paramedic exclaimed as his female colleague raced outside to fetch a stretcher. Rude nodded his head but did not say a word. He watched as they lifted Reno expertly off the bed and onto the stretcher, which was set on the floor. They carted him off to the makeshift ambulance outside and Rude opted to follow in his car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cloud located his bike where Reno had left it. Fenrir was still sitting on the edge of the curb, shining brightly in the light of a streetlamp, however as Cloud moved closer he spotted an ugly scratch running down the left side of it.

"I am going to KILL that Turk when I find him," Cloud growled, tracing the scar with a gloved hand. Totally abandoning his diminutive bike, Cloud took Fenrir and sped back towards Seventh Heaven where Tifa was waiting for his arrival.

It did not surprise him to find that a sign saying 'Closed for refurbishment' was pinned to the door. He quietly parked the bike and entered through the back door.

"Tifa?" he called out. The house was very quiet, unlike the usual evenings where it would be filled with the sounds of people socialising.

"Cloud? That you?" Tifa jogged down the stairs as fast she could and turned to find the man in person standing at the bar. She looked at his expectantly.

"Well I found the bike," he stated simply, pouring both himself and Tifa a drink.

"What about Reno? You didn't hurt him did you?"

"I couldn't find him. He left the bike in a busy street and he was nowhere to be seen."

This answer appeared to cause Tifa more grief than if he had claimed to have had a run in with Reno of the violent Varity.

"So he is out there all alone, in his state!" Tifa yelled, startling Cloud.

"Reno is a Turk he can look after himself."

Tifa did not answer. She instead returned upstairs and got into her bed. In the frantic events of the day she had not had time to change her bedding and as she got into it she could smell Reno's fragrance that he sometimes wore. It was not strong but very distinctive, a sort of faded aftershave smell, tinged with alcoholthat had been washed away withfresh rainwater. Her pillow smelt of the shampoo he used and she found it strangely comforting. She was asleep in minutes, curled up like a dormouse in the already slept in bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep. That incessant sound occurring over and over again. It was enough to make a guy go crazy. This was Reno's waking thought. He opened his eyes woozily and instantly wished he hadn't. The harsh light bounced happily off the stark white walls of the room he found himself in. He rose a heavy hand to shade his eyes and found with mild horror that tubes were coming out of the back of his hands, wrists and nose.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed hoarsely, jerking at the sickening thought that these little plastic tubes were sitting comfortably inside him. By pure will power he refrained from pulling them out there and then.

"…"

Reno sensed a presence in the room and glanced upwards through his messy red hair. Rude was sitting on a plain chair silently, one leg relaxing on the other knee, arms crossed, eyes covered with shades making his face virtually unreadable.

"How'd I get here, yo?" Reno asked, though his voice slurred incoherently due to the drugs still in his system.

"You're in Edge hospital," Rude explained, obviously trying to avoid Reno's question.

"I know that much, yo," Reno replied, "but how did I get here?"

"Don't you remember?" Tseng butted in as he and Elena chose to enter the room at that very moment. Elena wore a stupidly wide grin, raced over to the bed and none too gently hugged Reno.

"Get off me woman!" Reno yelled, but he was grinning too. Elena retreated and looked teary,

"Oh Reno, I was so worried that you wouldn't pull through" she sniffed; Tseng gave her a glare which screamed 'shut up'. There was a brief pause as the reunited Turks looked at each other, relishing the short period of peace that they rarely shared as a team.

As usual, it was the authoritive voice of Tseng that broke the blessed silence.

"Reno, can you actually recall exactly where you have been these last few days?" his nonchalant tone caused Reno to roll his eyes out of habit.

"This is not a matter to be taken lightly, you almost died. Now when one of my Turks goes missing and then reappears on a doorstep half dead, I personally find it rather alarming."

Reno raised a thin eyebrow, "YOUR Turks?"

"Yes. In case you haven't noticed I am your superior."

"Don't remind me," Reno drawled, attempting to look as bored as possible.

"It is my responsibility to keep you under control, out of hospital and on the field in a mission."

"Well looks like yer gonna have to work a bit harder cos you failed on all three there yo," Reno retorted. They both glared at each other for a moment.

"Reno…" Tseng began with a weary sigh, but instead of finishing his sentence he seemed to rethink it and exited the room. Elena spared a quick sympathetic glance in his direction before following loyally. This left only Rude and Reno in the hospital room once more.

"You'd think he'd cut me some slack y'know?"

"…"

"Rude…don't ya think he shouldah…Rude?"

Rude was looking at him in the same way Tseng had done, that sort of worried albeit suspicious look.

"You haven't said what happened to you yet," Rude said.

Reno closed his eyes. He could easily change the subject with Tseng, backchat to him until he got too annoyed to even bother asking him any further. Rude on the other hand knew Reno all too well, probably even better than he knew himself.

"Y'know, the usual. Hate crimes against the Turks because of whats happened with this meteor shit. I admit, I got in too deep," Reno explained absentmindedly, avoiding eye contact with his friend.

"I tracked down the gang that attacked you, you could have easily taken them on," Rude countered, not a single muscle in his face betrayed the feeling of concern he was hiding under the surface. Reno seemed to not hear and was idly picking at the needles and tubes protruding from his skin. Rude carried on, unperturbed.

"You turn up in my apartment drugged up to your eyeballs, bleeding all over the place and you're not even telling us why," Rude's voice sounded strained all of a sudden. Reno's attention swapped to his goggles lying on the bedside. He reached out to grab them and expertly pulled his heavy fringe back so the eyewear sat neatly on his head. Now he could see through the thick red hair, now he could see the irate face of Rude.

The larger man stood up from his chair suddenly, scrapping the bottom of the chair legs against the tiled floor. Reno closed his eyes as if attempting to fall into a deep slumber.

"God dammit Reno! Why can you not just cooperate for once?" Rude shouted. This got Reno's attention. The red head Turk had never heard Rude yell like that. Sure he had raised his voice in missions, over gunfire and such, but now the booming voice was directed solely at him. He opened his eyes slowly and set them on Rude's angry features.

Then, surprisingly to Reno, Rude reached upwards and slipped off his sunglasses. Underneath, the soft chocolate brown eyes appeared pained and pleading.

"Reno," he said, softly now. "Rufus is going to want a report on what occurred. Its best to tell me first."

"Why?" Reno spoke up for the first time during the conversation.

"Just so you don't say anything stupid…of course," there was that rare hint of amusement that Reno sometimes felt from Rude.

"We wouldn't want that would we?" Reno answered.

"Indeed. So, tell me everything…"

Reno took a deep breath. This situation reminded him briefly of when he was sitting in bed retelling his story to Tifa. The pain in his chest flared up again. He realised that he missed the bar tender, would he tell Rude that? Reno began in the exact same way as he had done when telling Tifa.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cloud uncharacteristically stood in Tifa's bedroom doorway, hand on the frame and eyes fixed on the sleeping figure before him. He had left Tifa to storm upstairs after yelling at him, for an hour, before cautiously knocking on her bedroom door to check if she was ok. She was fast asleep, cutely curled up causing Cloud to smile a little.

It seemed to Cloud that whilst he had been away something had happened to Tifa. Reno's presence at Seventh Heaven being the only thing out of place, Cloud assumed it had something to do with him. Tifa's defensive attitude for the beaten up Turk disturbed him somewhat and there was a nagging voice in his head telling Cloud that he had to find out what had gone on between the two. He loved Tifa after all. Loved her, perhaps not in the way she thought about him, for he was aware of Tifa's feelings towards him, but more in a protective sense. Above everything else, his friends meant the most to him and Tifa was his oldest and dearest friend.

Not having the heart to rouse her from slumber, Cloud retired to his own room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Running his hands through his spiky blonde hair, he noticed that the drawer of his bedside cabinet was slightly ajar. Sitting inside was the only two pictures that he owned, the picture of his friends, after Aeris had died. The second, of he and Aeris at the Gold Saucer. Cloud frowned at the pictures; he was sure that he had hidden them further inside the drawer before he had left with Denzel and Marlene. He replaced the photos back into the drawer and glanced at the clock. It was quite late and he had deliveries to do tomorrow. Usually, he would wake up and leave earlier than Tifa and occasionally he would come back after Tifa had gone to bed. It was right at that moment Cloud realised that maybe subconsciously he was still secluding himself from society, by avoiding those closest to him.

"Tomorrow," he thought, "Tomorrow, he would make an effort. Tomorrow would be different."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The smell of freshly cooked breakfast wafted into Tifa's room as she stirred from her deep slumber. She cracked her eyes open and sat up straight, curious as to where the pleasant odour was coming from. Not bothering to change from the clothes she had fallen asleep in the night before, Tifa rose and made her way downstairs.

What she found was enough to make anyone giggle. Cloud's face was scrunched in confusion as he balanced a frying pan in one hand, and a glass of orange juice in the other. He jerked round when he heard the soft chuckling coming from the door.

"Oh...uh Tifa, morning," he stumbled over his words adorably, Tifa mused.

"What is all this in aid of?" Tifa asked, visibly amused by his reaction.

"Well, I…I just thought you would like some breakfast," he answered, his blue eyes had already melted her anger at him away. She nodded and sat down, following Cloud's path with her eyes as he set down the large plate in front of her.

"You're not eating?" She asked, looking up as Cloud gazed at her hardly, most likely waiting for feedback.

He merely shook his head and muttered a "not hungry" before taking a seat beside the brunette. Tension hung thick in the air, as if Cloud was itching to say something, anything to break the uncomfortable silence and the icy demeanour that Tifa had shrouded herself in since last night. He was not used to his oldest friend being this way and swiftly realised that he would have to talk to her, if he wanted Tifa to snap out of this strange disposition.

Cloud used the long pause between them to gather his thoughts. He was never a man who talked things through and he found the position he was in extremely uncomfortable. After a quiet sigh Cloud spoke,

"I rang round the hospitals. It seems Reno got himself checked in to Edge Hospital late yesterday." Tifa stopped eating and looked up, her large round eyes full of relief.

"The receptionist said he's stable and recovering well. With the Mako in his system, he should be out soon," Cloud finished, briefly meeting Tifa's gaze, wondering why it meant so much for her to know that the redheaded annoyance was fine.

"The worst thing about Reno," Cloud thought, "was that he always came out on top".

"Thank you Cloud. I did feel a little responsible for him, after finding him half dead and everything," Tifa replied, nibbling on the toast provided. She was truly grateful to Cloud for taking the initiative and not tracking him down and killing him for what he'd done to Fenrir; Tifa felt an incredible feeling in the bottom of her stomach, knowing that her former patient was safe.

Whilst picking through the enormous breakfast Cloud had so carefully created (some of it was inedible, you couldn't after all, expect Cloud to be good at everything!) she began pondering what had gone on in the past few days. Of course, she could never tell Cloud that Reno had kissed her in the bar just minutes before Cloud had walked in. If the phone hadn't rang, it was highly possible that Cloud would have walked in on the two and then there would have been in big trouble.

But why had Reno left? Was Cloud's rough handling enough to make him flee, or was Cloud right? Was Reno here as part of some overblown and totally inappropriate mission? Tifa mentally shook her head; she didn't believe Cloud's paranoid theory one bit. But the mystery was still posing a puzzling predicament. Perhaps she could go and visit him in the hospital?

Tifa thought about this whilst chewing on a stubborn rasher of bacon. If Reno had been checked into the hospital it was highly likely that Rufus and the Turks would automatically be informed. From her previous experience, Tifa knew the security system Rufus had implanted into all public buildings in order to keep tabs on anyone who could pose a threat to ShinRa. It made sense that all ShinRa employees would routinely be added to this list.

At this moment the phone rang and before Tifa could rise to retrieve it, Cloud had pushed his chair back and was going himself. Tifa followed him with her eyes, minutely hopeful that the call was regarding Reno.

"Strife delivery service," Cloud said. There was a brief pause in which the caller replied.

"When would you like the package for?" Cloud responded and Tifa gave up all hope that it was concerning Reno. After a few minutes, Cloud thanked the caller and hung up.

"Another job?" Tifa asked.

"Mhmm, I've got to go to Kalm. It won't take long, two days at most."

"I see, leaving today?"

Cloud nodded seriously, "Will you…be ok here on your own?"

Tifa smiled, Cloud always looked adorable when he looked worried about something, "Cloud, I think I can manage on my own."

"It's just, if Reno comes back," Cloud growled, Tifa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "…I just don't trust him," the blonde man finished with a scowl, as if he were thinking of something distasteful. If only he knew the full extent of what had happened.

"Don't worry about me. I doubt Reno will be gracing us with his presence for a while. He'll be trapped in that hospital for a while yet." Cloud did not seem wholly convinced. "Cloud, go on the delivery," Tifa's voice was more demanding this time.

"Ok. If I go now I can most likely be back the day after tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rude listened without comment while Reno informed him of the gang in the bar and how he had woken up briefly in the alley Rude had investigated soon after. He listened with an eyebrow raised as Reno told of the voluptuous bar tender saving him and how he spent the past few days recovering in Seventh Heaven but was too out of it to consider contacting anyone and that he had lost his PHS. When Reno had described the idiotic way Cloud had pinned him against the wall Rude cleared his throat and shifted on his seat. But what Reno did not inform his partner of was his guilt ridden nightmare and the encounter he had with Tifa afterwards. Reno decided that those points in particular were not crucial to the plot, at least not from ShinRa's point of view.

"This all sounds extremely unlikely Reno," Rude remarked securing his sunglasses on his nose after giving Reno a long look.

"Well, you know me. I don't do anything normally," Reno smirked in retaliation. Rude couldn't argue with that.

"I'll see what I can do to make it more…believable in the report."

Reno shot Rude a grateful smile before letting his head fall softly back onto the pillow with a sigh. The pain had been dulled by the painkillers pumping through his veins but he felt groggy and exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. Rude's expression softened at the sight of his friend fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Get some rest little man. I have to talk with Tseng and Rufus," Rude said.

"Hmmm," Reno slurred sleepily, yawning and wincing in discomfort before finally allowing himself to submit to unconsciousness.

Rude looked at his friend for moment, then stood and left the hospital room, closing the door behind him softly. He processed the story a few times in his head, coming to the conclusion that there was something not quite right with Reno's story. Once Reno was feeling up to it, he would try to talk to him about his current anti-depressant prescription and see if that had anything to do with how he put himself in such a weak position in the first place.

Tseng was in the lobby on his PHS when Rude found him. The lobby itself was scattered with a few scruffy looking people, most likely drug addicts or people who had been caught in gang fights and the receptionist was arguing with a patient who was becoming more and more aggressive as the conversation went on. Rude eyed the scuffle menacingly and the patient quietened and sat down to wait his turn. Tseng spied his fellow Turk, nodded and finished up his phone call.

"So what's the story?" Tseng asked seriously. Rude answered in a professional manner, as best he could, with the account Reno had given him and Tseng listened in very much the same way as Rude had until he had finished.

"You think it's genuine?"

Rude nodded.

"I see. Well, I need to pass this onto Rufus." With that Tseng flipped open his PHS and hit the speed dial. The conversation was over and Rude was left to his own devices.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A cold biting wind tore through his tattered suit, tiny particles of sand and dirt launching themselves into his eyes as he attempted a hasty retreat. Only seconds before, he had pressed the button to the bomb responsible for dropping the Sector 7 plate. The last he saw of the AVALANCHE members were their shocked faces, the face of Tifa Lockhart, eyes wide and full of excruciating anguish at the concept of her home being destroyed. Reno did not have time to wait about, he was running toward the heavily armed ShinRa helicopter and leapt toward it, barely gripping the rope ladder dangling down beneath it. He laughed madly as he hung from the ladder, partly from the relief of surviving the suicide mission and partly because his mind could not process the despicable deed he had just carried out. _

_As he began to pull himself up into the safety of the helicopter cabin he felt a sudden jolt on his left leg. He looked down at once and found Cloud grabbing onto his ankle with one hand, his huge buster sword in the other. Cloud's face was made up of determination and monstrous rage and with a roar he jerked on Reno's ankle, loosening his hold on the rising helicopter and plummeting down into the burning wreck._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reno gasped and bolted upright as his body slammed into the hard rubble present in his nightmare. The machine he was hooked up on beeped incessantly, mimicking his racing heartbeat and some of the needles had tore at his hands in the waking struggle.

A cold sweat had broken out all over Reno's body and he glanced around wildly, forgetting for a second where he was. As soon as the nurse rushed in to see what the commotion was about, Reno realised that it had been a dream again. It unnerved him that the dream, although obviously not occurring in reality seemed so real to him that it felt strange that he was still alive after the gruesome impact with the crumbling sector 7 plate. He felt small trickles of blood running down his hands and over his wrists and he was mildly aware of the small nurse fussing about him or the fact that Rude had entered and was demanding what had happened. All Reno could think about was the guilt washing over him, making him feel nauseous and dizzy. He groaned weakly and tried to turn on his side. Understanding his intention, the nurse grabbed a small cardboard bowl from the side table and held it beneath Reno as he pitifully threw up the very little he had in his stomach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N So I'm back after a very long time of no writing. I actually forgot all about it and by chance came across it the other day and got really inspired. So I hope everyone still remembers it and enjoys. I did re-read it and it needs work, so I think I shall finish the story first and then go back and make the corrections afterward. Let me know what you think through the reviews, thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As he observed the nurse work frantically to restrain a feebly struggling Reno from stumbling out of bed, Rude acted on instinct and stepped forward to place a massive hand on his friend's shoulder. He firmly pinned the redhead onto the bed, glaring down at him through his black sunglasses.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rude asked, almost in exasperation. Reno gazed back at him, his face still reminiscent of a dreary queasy look.

"Feel sick," he managed.

"And so you feel the need to rip out the I.V. needles and attack the nurse?"

The nurse in question blushed and quickly fled the presence of the two men who had commenced a staring contest with each other. Of course, Rude won out in the end, leaving Reno to pout and look away in a form of childish disobedience. The older and taller man sighed, feeling annoyed that his partner could never take anything seriously. Instead of reprimanding his friend he picked up the chart situated at the end of Reno's hospital bed and consulted its findings.

"Multiple lacerations, bruising and breaks, not to mention a gun wound that left untended could have been fatal." Rude peered up to take in Reno's expression before adding, "I guess we have Tifa to thank for that."

"Must remember to send her a thank you card," Reno grumbled and moved his attention to the coarse bed sheets he was trapped in. Somehow, the plain white bedding had become a lot more interesting to study than his partner's piercing gaze.

It was at this moment that Rude's PHS began to beep and the tension dissolved, much to Reno's relief. He really did not relish the idea of having to go into any more detail of his stay at Tifa's, especially since he suspected that Rude had a rather large crush on the bar tender already.

The redhead watched as his friend frowned at the message and left without a word. The strange behaviour pricked at his curious nature and so it was not long after the departure of Rude, Reno had resolved to attempt his own withdrawal from the maddeningly clinical room.

First, he slowly sat up, careful not to tangle himself in any IV drip tubes. Then, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain, he yanked out the needles from his hands and the tubes in his nose. The most challenging task was next. Standing. On wobbling legs, Reno stayed very still while the nausea and dizziness subsided, then he made a few uncertain steps to the cabinet on the opposite side of the room. He almost cried in relief when he discovered a pair of new working shoes and a black suit folded neatly on one of the shelves. After half dressing himself, he pushed his hair back into a messy ponytail and beat his unruly fringe into submission with a pair of goggles also located in the cabinet. To his dismay, there were no weapons to be found, but Reno figured (with an impish grin) that he could improvise along the way.

"Now, to get to HQ," Reno muttered to himself determinedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was not an unusual occurrence for Tseng to be pacing his office. This was how Rude found him once he arrived at the newly refurbished ShinRa building.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, I thought it best to talk to you in person with what I have to discuss with you." There were no pleasantries, just down to business, and Rude liked that about Tseng.

"As you know, the doctor's report for Reno's injuries has noted an incredible healing rate."

Rude nodded, remembering the medical chart he had read just minutes before receiving the mysterious message from Tseng.

"Do you not find it odd at how much Reno has recovered, considering he was beaten almost to death approximately five days ago?"

"I imagine it has something to do with Mako treatments he received," Rude replied. Out of the four Turks, Reno was the only one who had undergone the Mako treatment required when joining SOLDIER. Tseng and Rude had been dismissed from it, given that they had been Turks for years previously and Elena had joined their team much later on, when it was less acceptable to be using the lifestream as a way to enhance ShinRa employees. Back then, Reno and Rude had not been close friends, although the older man remembered his first meeting with the young Turk well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_He is to become a Turk you know," Tseng muttered to Rude quietly. The two were standing in the medical bay watching a young Reno through a one-way mirror. Rude scrutinised the scrawny boy in question before raising a questioning eyebrow._

"_Verdot's orders. He's gone through the Mako treatments and has shown remarkable skills in certain fields."_

"_What fields would they be?" Rude asked, not really believing that the boy he was watching was capable of much._

"_Test results show that his brain is extremely susceptible to picking up complex patterns and tasks quickly. His skills in a stealth related environment are also impressive. It also seems he has a knack for technology," Tseng answered, rubbing his lip thoughtfully._

"_Stealth? He's a thief from the slums, I've arrested him before. This is what Verdot wants in the Turks?" _

_Tseng shook his head, "I don't fully understand it myself, but Verdot is in charge and I trust in his decisions as first in command. If Verdot wants this kid in our team, he must be something special, especially to gain Turk status without any previous training."_

_They watched through the window Reno's flailing body. His treatments were almost over, and he was currently in the last throws of the horrifying process. Rude had read up on it for his theory exam to become a Turk. The subject was given a dose of pure Mako each day for three weeks, each time the dose would be increased slightly. However, in many cases the subject would suffer an overdose of sorts, which was called Mako-poisoning. Mako, after all, was a drug. A highly addictive drug, which if used continually could lead to a dependency on it and finally cause the body to shut down completely. The top scientist at ShinRa, Hojo, had found a way though to administer it just enough to reach a subject's optimum ability level, although it took years of trial and error. Rude himself had been the driving force of the "selection process" for test subjects. In layman's terms, he was the one assigned to pick up suitable subjects from the slums. _

_Hojo himself had overseen Reno's treatments, and he was in the room now, checking vitals and furiously scribbling down reams and reams of notes in his scientific notebook. Rude had never liked the man, who treated people as mere apparatus for his sick and twisted experiments. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yes, Rude remembered that day quite well indeed. Soon after, Reno had been introduced to the team and was assigned to Rude as his training partner. To his great surprise they bonded relatively quickly after a mission-gone-wrong where Reno had saved their asses with his rapidly improving computer hacking skills. Even more surprisingly, despite Reno's unique reactions in the field and his casual approach to pretty much everything, he climbed up the pecking order swiftly. First over taking the lower level Turks, then even Rude himself so that he answered to Rufus and Tseng alone. Tseng spoke up then, stopping dead Rude's train of thought.

"Even for a Mako enhanced subject, the rate of healing is phenomenal. The blood loss from the bullet wound alone should have killed him!"

"You know Reno, Sir. He's lucky," Rude answered somewhat unsure of his reply.

Not answering straight away, Tseng gave his colleague a long hard look, as if to say, "he's not _that_ lucky" and moved to his desk, where he proceeded to pick up a fat looking folder.

"This is Reno's medical record. Everything should be in here, every idiotic injury, every type of medication he's been prescribed, results of psychological testing, everything." Tseng handed over the file and Rude stared at it and then to his superior

"Sir?"

"I want you to look into his file for any…anomalies," Tseng replied.

"Yes Sir." Rude straightened up and went to leave, but as he reached the door, Tseng's voice stopped him.

"Reno doesn't need to know about this." A warning.

"…Of course." And with that Rude strode out of the room, leaving Tseng behind to continue his pacing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N I hope you all aren't disappointed by this well over due chapter! Just a few things to mention. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things for this story and to remember all the subtleties that I had planned before. Hopefully you'll all like it, and let me know if there can be room for improvement!

Oh and the character Verdot (I did a little research) was meant to be an old leader of the Turks and someone that Tseng looked up to.


End file.
